Manufacturers try to attract top students to their field

The Wall Street Journalupdates efforts to address a perennial problem: getting talented young people interested in careers in manufacturing.“Manufacturers, government officials and nonprofits across the country are looking for ways to get the country's brightest kids fired up about industry,” the newspaper reports. “They're setting up engineering contests, backing classroom projects where kids design everything from audio speakers to artificial limbs, and taking students on tours of factories.”A new push goes beyond vocational classes, which “usually don't try to attract the top students,” according to the newspaper, and is “is designed to spark interest among students who might not give manufacturing a second thought otherwise.”One company that's trying hard to entice talented students to manufacturing is Kennametal Inc., a Latrobe, Pa,-based maker of metalworking tools, alloys and other materials that has a plant in Solon. It's trying to counter perceptions of factory work by holding tours of its operations.“People still think that factories are dark, dirty and dangerous, and that the jobs are dull," says Carlos Cardoso, CEO of Kennametal, which also sponsors a program to get high schoolers interested in engineering. "That was the factories of 50 years ago. We really need to change the perception."Nathan Schomer, who lives near Latrobe and took part in Kennametal's high-school program, recently took a tour of the company's Solon plant. The Journal says he noticed that the factory was clean and that the machines were controlled by computers, not people pulling levers."That's just not how you imagine manufacturing to be," says Mr. Schomer, who has enrolled in an engineering program at Drexel University in Philadelphia. He says he would consider working for a manufacturer such as Kennametal, though he may want to start his own business.

Dialing for dollars

This Reuters story reinforces just what a drag it is to run for high political office if you aren't wealthy.From the story:

For lawmakers in Washington, the daily chase for money can begin with a breakfast fundraiser in the side room of a Washington restaurant. At noon, there might be a $500-per-plate lunch with lobbyists in a Capitol Hill town house. The day might wrap up in an arena sky box in downtown Washington, watching a basketball game with donors.In between, there is "call time" — up to four or five hours a day for lawmakers in tough re-election campaigns — in telemarketing-style cubicles a few hundred yards from the Capitol. The call centers, set up by the Democratic and Republican parties, allow lawmakers to chase the checks that fuel campaigns without violating rules that ban fundraising from their offices.The story says freshman Republican Rep. David Joyce in Geauga County, who represents a competitive district, “may need to raise $4 million to stay in office next year now that Democrats have identified him as one of their top targets, said his predecessor Steve LaTourette, a Republican who held the seat for 18 years.”Rep. Joyce declined to comment.But Rep. LaTourette makes it clear that the fundraising demands were a major part of why he left Congress.“LaTourette says he was expected to raise $250,000 a year for the National Republican Congressional Committee, his party's political arm,” Reuters reports. “He reached that goal by asking donors to 'max out' with a $2,500 check, last year's legal limit. Then he'd ask whether their spouse could give that amount as well.”He tells the news service, “It's just very, very time-consuming. Let's say you've got a competitive race and you've got to raise 3 or 4 million dollars for your re-election. That's a lot of phone calls."

Blame Canada

Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. says it's ”temporarily suspending” the environmental assessment for its $3 billion chromite project in Ontario, Canada.The Cleveland-based producer of iron ore and coal said the decision is “due to delays related to the environment assessment process, land surface rights and negotiations with the Province of Ontario.”

Bill Boor, senior vice president-global ferroalloys for Cliffs, said in a statement that while “most aspects of the chromite project have advanced according to plan, temporarily suspending the environmental assessment work acknowledges that certain critical elements of the project's future are not solely within our control and require the active support and participation by other interested.”He added, "We remain excited about this project and its potential for Cliffs and Northern Ontario. However, given the current unresolved issues, we cannot and will not unilaterally move the process forward and must manage our resources appropriately."Reuters reports that Cliffs plans to develop North America's first major chromite mine in a remote cluster of rich mineral deposits called the “Ring of Fire.”Chromite is refined into ferrochrome, which is used to make stainless steel. The project includes a $600 million highway.

Try, try again

The Cleveland Clinic rates a mention in a brief CNNMoney.com slideshow about efforts nationwide to ease the financial pain of medical treatment.The third of three slides focuses on company wellness programs, which increasingly “are shifting from offering incentives to employees for simply signing up to rewarding — or punishing — staffers based on measurable results,” according to the website.One key takeaway for workers: trying counts.“Many wellness programs reward improvement even if you fall short of the goals,” CNNMoney.com says. “Last year, for instance, employees in Cleveland Clinic's wellness program who didn't hit their targets saw a 9% hike in health premiums vs. 21% for employees who didn't enroll.”You also can follow me on Twitter for more news about business and Northeast Ohio.

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